Pay and display bays set to be introduced in Woodstock

In March, Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet approved giving notice to West Oxfordshire District Council (WODC), to terminate an s101 Agency Agreement with regards to the management of highway parking enforcement in West Oxfordshire.

Under the proposals, WODC continues to manage and enforce its off-street car parks, while the county council manages on-street infringements, such as yellow lines and bus lanes.

At that meeting, Andy Graham – a county councillor for the Woodstock division – said ‘the lack of effective enforcement has caused chaos’ in the town for more than 15 years.

READ AGAIN: County council agrees to end parking arrangement in West Oxfordshire

Now, a decision has been made to approve pay and display bays and permit parking areas in Woodstock town centre – despite opponents to the plans suggesting parking charges could be rolled out across West Oxfordshire.

At a county council meeting, the local authority’s new cabinet member for highways management – Andrew Gant – was tasked with the delegated decision.

He said: “It is clear from everyone that the current system doesn’t work and isn’t enforced.

“There was some correspondence that said don’t do this and drop the scheme, well that does not address the underlying problem.”

Woodstock town centre. Picture: Mark Hemsworth (Image: Oxford Mail)

Liam Walker, a councillor for the Hanborough and Minster Lovell division, has been vocal in his disapproval of the proposals, and said at the meeting: “There were a lot of private meetings, meetings that were not minuted before town council meetings, there were meetings that the public was not invited to.

“We had a consultation process that ran during the period of purdah before an election which brings into question whether that should have happened, and also the recent cabinet decision of taking back enforcement, which included £300,000 of income from Woodstock. 

“You could ask the question whether the decision was predetermined because the county council’s cabinet has signed off on that income.”

Liam Walker has been critical of parking charges being introduced

Mr Graham responded: “The consultation by the county council has been second to none in the sense that it was not one question, whether you want free parking or not, it asked for comments on the scheme that had been professionally designed to bear in mind the various interested bodies.”

Mr Gant approved the three-hour pay and display bays, with the first hour free and exemptions for permit holders, as well as ‘ultra-short’ bays which will be free for half an hour.

A further assessment by council officers is to be undertaken, to consider introducing permits for visitors to hotels and guest houses in Woodstock. This will require further public consultation.

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This story was written by Liam Rice, he joined the team in 2019 as a multimedia reporter.

Liam covers politics, travel and transport. He occasionally covers Oxford United.

Get in touch with him by emailing: Liam.rice@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter @OxMailLiamRice